Well, you have either stumbled onto the WBC B-17 Tournament
webpage by accident, or you have deliberately come here wanting
to know more about this unique tourney which is quite a bit different
from most WBC events. How so? First, this game employs a solitaire
system, so before coming to the 2005 tourney, you should try
to buy a new or used copy of B-17 on Ebay. Dust it off,
play it a few times, and you will be ready for action.

For
WBC, you are paired with another B-17 pilot who rolls the German
attack dice (for Luftwaffe strafing passes and the dreaded FLAK)
against you. Your fellow B-17 pilot might cheer for you when
you survive attacks, but he might also cheer when he cripples
your plane, wounds your key gunners, or shoots you down. There
is a spirit of camaraderie in the WBC B-17 tourney that
is probably like no other gaming event. You get a firsthand
taste of how bloody the WWII air war against Germany was. You
see your fellow pilots in your six-plane squadron get shot up
and possibly drop out of formation due to lack of oxygen or lack
of heat at higher altitudes. But the most enjoyable part of
B-17 is that it is not truly a head-to-head competition
against your fellow pilots. It is all about survival, and that
struggle unites all of us players with a common bond of gamesmanship,
sportsmanship, and above all, fun. The game teaches us a history
lesson at the same time. Each year, the GM, David Terry, designs
three historical scenarios based on extensive research from the
literature. Scenario descriptions, similar to ASL, are handed
out that describe each mission, values for all of the game parameters,
and a historical aftermath recap. 2005 promises something special
that will probably require the GM to visit the National Archives
early in 2005 to fully prepare the historical background for
the 2005 B-17 tourney. We started our scenarios in August 1942,
and after 13 years of tournament play, we are now up to mid-1943.
Targets from our 2003 and 2004 tourneys were from May and June
of 1943 and were: Wilhelmshaven, St. Nazaire (aka Flak City),
Wilhelmshaven (a repeat attack, U-Boat Yards are tough to destroy),
Kiel, Hüls (first attack in the Ruhr Valley), and, as an
example of how things can go wrong, the last mission in 2004
was sent to Bremen, but bad weather obscured the target and the
B-17 crews attacked a convoy off of Juist Island as a target
of opportunity (last resort). Many long and bloody missions
lie ahead for our determined veterans and rookies of the B-17
tourney. Each participant becomes a brave pilot of the Mighty
Eighth U.S. Army Air Force, and the memories of survival last
a lifetime.

The B-17 tournament scoring system is based on awarding
points for survival (plane and crew), reaching the target, bombing
accuracy, and credits for German planes shot down. The scoring
is accumulated over all three missions (provided that you have
at least one crew member survive and fly each mission). Scores
are tallied as the planes straggle back to their bases. Our
2003 tourney winner, William Rohrbeck, did something strange
and set a record in the process. He is now the veteran with
the longest gap between tournament appearances. He played in
Camp Hill, PA in our inaugural year, 1992, and returned ELEVEN
years later in 2003 to win the event. He went AWOL on us in
2004 though, so maybe we will see him again soon, or perhaps
in ten more years. We always welcome returning pilots. Green
recruits are also more than welcome, because some of us delight
in cannon fodder. 2004 saw Stephen Quirke pull off an outstanding
set of three missions, including an excellent score of 71 in
the mission against Kiel. Stephen held off multi-year winner
Paul Risner by a mere two points, and Paul had been shooting
planes down left and right throughout the day, almost claiming
yet another championship. This scoring system has remained unchanged
since 1993 (second year of the tourney) and has been battle tested
for well over a decade. Again, it rewards survival as well as
destruction of the enemy.

For those participants that complete all three missions, consolation
(or booby) prizes are offered for those coming in at the bottom
of the pack. Assistant GM Mike Lam has, on his own initiative,
graciously offered medals for various achievements (some good,
some bad) during the course of the tournament. Mike Lam's medals
contribute to the flavor and camaraderie of the tourney and his
effort can't be described in words ­ he is greatly appreciated
by his fellow flyers, even when he awards them a Purple Heart
(which usually means something very bad happened in this game).
Here are examples of the medals that Mike handed out in 2003:

- Distinguished Service Cross (Arthur Davis & Kevin McCarthy)
Both players rolled a "12" while landing their bombers
with both pilots and co-pilots out of action. Both planes landed
successfully. Mike Lam notes that the DSC (or Army Cross) is
the second highest medal. The Medal of Honor is the highest,
and the MOH would have been given out posthumously if the planes
had unsuccessfully landed. They landed successfully, so they
get the second highest medal instead. This is how the Army did
it, and there are some oxymoronic aspects of that, but this is
the Army Air Force after all.

- Legion Of Merit (Paul Weintraub) for having the highest
bombing accuracy average of 27% by one bombardier. Bombing was
very dismal for all players since Paul won this with only a total
of 27%. Flak was a big factor in most bombs being off target
during the three missions.

- Air Medal (Mike Backstrom & Kevin McCarthy) for having
the highest kills by ONE gunner (7). Kevin's was by his tail
gunner while Mike's was by his Flight Engineer. Honorable mention
(no medal) was Keith Hunsinger with 6.

New,
for 2005, we will have an after-action meeting (time TBD, probably
on Saturday night or Sunday morning). We will be having an optional
prize table where each B-17 tourney participant is invited to
bring a gift (approximate value $5 to $10). If most participants
do this, then every B-17 tournament participant will go away
with a prize ­ no one will go away empty-handed. Suggested
items for the prize table include: copies of B-17 for new players,
plastic models, videotapes, and of course, new or used books
pertaining to the air war in Europe in World War Two. The after-action
meeting will serve as a post-mission debriefing and will summarize
the tournament results, medal awards, consolation prizes, and
gifts from the prize table.

SO, the question remains, why did you stumble onto this WBC
B-17 web page? Are you looking for a tournament that
is different and offers a unique atmosphere? Have you heard
rumors about this event and want to know more about it? As GM
for 13 years, going on 14, I can only strongly urge you to get
a copy of the game, go over the simple rules, play a few games,
then meet up with us in Lancaster, PA where we will be more than
happy to try and shoot you down, but in a friendly, sporting
way.

SO, again, we ask, are you brave enough to enter the world
of B-17? Do you have the GONADS (whether you are male
or female) to risk it all and have some fun with an eclectic
group of veteran B-17ers? Have you counted the pips on
those dice? Do they show 5s and 6s more often (good) or are
you coming up with 1s, 2s, 3s, and 4s (bad)? What's it going
to be, sucker? Do you feel lucky? Huh, do you rookie? Go ahead,
make our day and show up in 2005 for some of the hottest action
in Lancaster. B-17 provides enough hot action to make the Amish
run back to their farmhouses at sundown.

See you at the WBC B-17 tournament in Lancaster. Amish
are welcome. DO YOU FEEL LUCKY?